


the clock is ticking

by taye_z



Series: taye's oneshots [4]
Category: Minecraft (Video Game), Video Blogging RPF
Genre: Angst, Bats, Blood, Character Death, Dare, Dark, Fae Magic, Fog, Forests, Gen, Horror, I HAD SOMEONE BETA READ THIS IM GOING TO ASCEND AND KILL GOD, Immortality, Implied/Referenced Character Death, Innocence, Insanity, Kinda, Knives, Magic, Memory Loss, Mind Manipulation, PogChamp, Suspense, Truth or Dare, beats a man to death, i think? im not too sure, like baseball bat, sam comes at the very end, tagging (derogatory)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-26
Updated: 2021-02-26
Packaged: 2021-03-16 16:35:37
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,013
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29703441
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/taye_z/pseuds/taye_z
Summary: You don't go into the forest. That's just a fact.Youdon'tgo into the forest.So Tubbo went into the forest. Since nobody else seems to really care, Tommy is left to play the good guy and go get him. No big deal.What was the worst that could happen?
Relationships: No Romantic Relationship(s)
Series: taye's oneshots [4]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1952368
Comments: 10
Kudos: 78





	the clock is ticking

**Author's Note:**

> i wrote this as a suspense / horror story a few years ago for a school assignment and then just now converted it to a fanfic
> 
> thank you to my dear friend witsend for beta-reading this! you're the best :D

It was a warm Saturday morning. A cluster of teenagers sat in a group. Laughter could be heard as different kids did ridiculous things. 

There was a boy, a year or two younger than the rest but still accepted. He was really only there because he was waiting for his best friend to come home from the grocery store.

He was nudged by an older boy with scruffy brown hair and a sharp face. “Hey, Tubs. I dare you to go into the forest.”

Tubbo glanced towards the stark, burned trees reaching their clawed fingers to the sky. “For how long?” he asked.

The other boy shrugged. “I dunno. Just, like, go in, get a good look at things, and come back out.”

The boy stood. Everyone else gave him reassuring smiles. The forest was pretty scary, but Tubbo told himself it was fine. He wasn’t about to be considered a wimp.

Cautiously, he walked into the foggy trees. The kids waited. He never came out.

**2:00 Remaining**

Tommy walked out into the backyard, having just come back from the store. His brother’s friends were sitting in a rough circle. Tommy kicked his brother, Clay, or Dream as he preferred, in the back. “Here,” he said, dumping the chips on the floor.

Dream looked down at the bags, then up at Tommy. “Thanks.” His older brother smiled.

Tommy shrugged, turning to go back inside, when he suddenly realized something. He turned back to Dream. “Where’s Tubbo?”

Dream suddenly seemed very interested in his chips. “Uh, he went into the forest.”

“How long has he been gone?” Tommy asked.

Dream popped a chip into his mouth. “Only, like, a minute or two.”

Tommy looked at him, incredulous. “You… aren’t worried?”

He crunched on another chip. “Nah. If he was hurt, he would just come back right? He’s probably just looking around.”

Despite a nagging feeling that something was wrong, Tommy sighed in resignation. “Alright.”

**1:45 Remaining**

Tommy stomped back outside, this time with water bottles. He was still pissed at Dream, dropping the bottles into his lap in a petty form of revenge. “Has Tubbo come back yet?”

Dream gave him a sleepy smile. “Hey, Tommy. Nah, he hasn’t.”

Tommy had the urge to slap him. “What? Are you not worried? Don’t you care?”

Dream shrugged. Tommy turned to the forest with an angry sigh. “If _you_ don’t care enough, _I’ll_ go get him myself.”

Tommy marched forward. “Have fun,” Dream called. That only made him angrier.

The fog was dense, but he didn’t care. He continued his angry walk. It soon became so thick he couldn’t see much in front of him. He stopped, trying to look around, but he could only see a small circle around his feet. “Hello?”

The sound didn’t carry very far. There were no birds, Tommy realized. He could only hear his own slightly labored breathing and beating heart. The anger in his stomach faded into something like fear. Tommy felt like screaming. What was he thinking, going into the forest alone? He turned around, trying to find where he came from, but the effort was useless. He had lost all sense of direction.

Tommy picked a random direction, slowly walking that way. What else was he supposed to do?

**1:30 Remaining**

Tommy felt like he had been wandering forever. Was Tubbo stuck in here, like him? He had stopped calling out a while ago, the fog absorbing all his cries. He was going to starve in here.

Tommy was going to die.

After a while, he thought he saw a flash of red. Was he hallucinating? Probably. But it was definitely better than walking around aimlessly.

The red smear slowly solidified into a humanoid shape. The person turned to face him, not that Tommy could really tell. Their entire body was draped in cascading red cloth, obscuring their body shape and leaving no hint of skin.

“Oh. Hello.” His voice was deep and monotone. It reminded Tommy somewhat of Eret, one of Dream’s friends. “What are you looking for?”

Tommy gave him a weird look. “What do you mean?”

“Almost nobody comes here voluntarily.” He waved his gloved hand, somehow dispersing the fog that had been slowly creeping up. “So you must be looking for something.”

“Uh, sure.” Tommy scratched the back of his head. “I’m, uh, looking for a friend?”

The man nodded his head. “I know who you speak of. He came to me, looking for a way out. But I’m afraid my father got a hold of him. Prime only knows where he is now.”

Tommy chose not to ask who the fuck _Prime_ was, instead using his question for a better use. “Could you point me in the right direction?”

The man pointed to the left. “Your friend lies that way. But be careful. My father is _very_ protective of his prey.”

The way he said it sent shivers down Tommy’s spine. He thanked the man, turning to leave. He stopped Tommy with one last piece of knowledge.

“Oh, and Tommy? You only have two hours to save your friend After that… well, let’s just say spending an eternity with my family isn’t the _best_ for your mental health.”

**1:15 Remaining**

Tommy walked in the direction the blood-robe man pointed him in. He had long since stopped wondering how the man knew his name, only able to focus on how his legs and feet ached with each step. How much longer did Tubbo have left, if what the man said about two hours was true? He wasn’t about to abandon Tubbo, but what if his time was already up? Tommy focused on placing one foot in front of the other, but thoughts kept nagging at him.

Finally, a shadow of something appeared in the fog. He kept moving closer. The blurriness surrounding it ebbed away, revealing its shape to be of a small wooden hut.

It looked abandoned, with the door and windows boarded up. It was crumbling, the roof sagging in. Deep gouges were trailed along a wall, making it seem like something big tried to claw its way inside. Creepy.

Tommy paced the perimeter, finding nothing. He kicked a rock in frustration. How was he supposed to find Tubbo at this rate?

Maybe this was an elaborate prank. Maybe Tubbo already left this grey landscape behind. Maybe Tommy was just wasting his time.

Maybe Tommy was abandoned.

He took another step forward. Something under his foot made a cracking sound. He stopped, crouching to pick up what he stepped on. It was a compass.

What was a compass doing here? Instead of pointing north, the little needle pointed towards the east. There was a dark stain of _something_ spreading across part of the glass. He flipped it over. The stain covered the back, too. There was a single word, _Your,_ but the rest had been covered up by the reddish mark.

Tommy stood, following the direction of the needle. What else was he supposed to do?

**0:55 Remaining**

Man, Tommy was hungry. He was getting thirsty too, throat scratchy from all his yelling before. What would happen when he found Tubbo? _(He refused to think about the timeline where he never found Tubbo.)_ Was leaving even possible?

**0:45 Remaining**

Every so often, Tommy would hear laughter. Sometimes, he wanted to laugh back.

**0:40 Remaining**

This sucked.

Tommy cursed Tubbo for coming in here. He cursed Dream for being an idiot. Mostly, he cursed himself. What was he doing here?

At some point, Tommy had found a metal baseball bat. There were red stains on the end. He carried it with him. He couldn’t leave it behind if he tried, and he did try. Something forced him to go back, made him pick it up and hold it in a death-grip.

Tommy has started talking to himself to pass the time. He would hold entire conversations with the nobody walking beside him. He knew he was going insane, but he didn’t think he could stop himself at this point.

**0:30 Remaining**

There was someone following him, he was sure of it.

He could hear someone’s footsteps behind him. Everytime he stopped, they stopped. It was really starting to piss him off.

Tommy whirled around. A young man was standing there. He had a small dinner knife in one hand. His hair was brown and curly, yet wild and overgrown. He might have been attractive at one point if not for his fractured glasses and insane smile.

Normally, Tommy would be afraid. But after walking for what felt like hours with nothing but his own mind, he was finally happy that something was here to entertain him.

He slid the compass into his pocket, gripping his bat with two hands. The man acted first, running with somewhat surprising speed. He raised the knife above his head with the clear intent of stabbing it into Tommy’s neck.

He never got the chance.

Tommy swung the bat with as much force as he could. He hit the man square in the jaw, knocking him to the ground despite the small height difference. The knife skittered out of his grip, disappearing into the thick fog.

Tommy stood above him. He started hitting him over and over, letting out all of his _(irrational? rational?)_ anger. Over and over, the metal bat beat his body. He was long dead. Tommy was angry, but merciful enough to give him a quick death via smashing his neck.

After an indeterminable amount of time, Tommy stumbled backwards. The attacker was a mess of blood and shattered bone on the ground, a former man.

Tommy turned away, continuing east. He didn’t have to pull out his compass. He had memorized where to go.

**0:20 Remaining**

What was he looking for? Tommy didn’t remember. He only knew he had to keep trudging forward.

He was a hollow shell of somebody. He had trouble remembering who he was. Was Tommy even his name? Did it matter at this point?

It was strange. Tommy came here hungry and thirsty. Now, everything felt dull. The grey fog, at first a terror, was now a comfort. It wrapped him in its comfort, and despite how much Tommy struggled at first, he realized how gentle it was.

**0:15 Remaining**

A man came to Tommy.

He sympathized with him, a fellow tortured soul. He guided the lost boy, holding his hand in a fatherly way. His green cloak was a welcome color, a nice shade that made Tommy trust the man more.

He brought Tommy to another boy. He was bound and gagged. Once the boy saw Tommy, he let out a muffled scream, weakly struggling. The man told Tommy to kill him. Something made him hesitate. He asked why. The man smiled gently, making an unknown emotion surge in Tommy’s chest. He said the boy was a tainter in this pure world. He was the splash of unwelcome color against the grey backdrop.

The man released his hand.

Tommy raised his bat.

**0:00 Remaining**

Tommy lives with the man. He tells him stories. They walk together, a father and a son in everything but blood. Tommy’s bat is red, his clothes ruined. He can’t remember anything, and sometimes a very small part of him will panic at the loss of memory.

But then the man will smile, and Tommy will smile back. He follows him, and nobody else.

How many has Tommy killed? He’s lost track by this point. But the man is always there, offering soft encouragement and messages of pride. Tommy has never felt more alive.

This is his life now. He has no need for anything else except for the man and his bat.

* * *

Sam came out of the house, walking over to tap his son on the shoulder. Dream turned to him curiously.

“Sorry to interrupt, but have you seen your brother?” Sam asked.

Dream hesitated. “...Who?”

Sam furrowed his brow in confusion, looking up as he scrounged his brain. “Huh, never mind.”

**Author's Note:**

> ⎓𝙹∷⊣ᒷℸ ̣ ⎓⚍ꖎリᒷᓭᓭ ╎ᓭ ʖꖎ╎ᓭᓭ
> 
> :)
> 
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> [twitter](https://twitter.com/taye_z)  
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> join this cool discord server: https://discord.gg/6Pfvb5b


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